Each year there are over 35 million on-the-road automobile accidents in the United States. Many other vehicles, including water craft and off-road vehicles are also involved in accidents. These can vary from one vehicle to multi-vehicle incidents. These mishaps or accidents cause billions of dollars of property and personal injury damage every year. In most cases, one or more of the parties is at fault, and law enforcement officers, insurance adjusters, and other related individuals are required to find credible witnesses to re-account the incident in order to accurately determine the culpability and liability of the mishap or accident.
Likewise, each year, theft and vandalism of vehicles account for losses that approach the magnitude of those resulting from vehicular accidents. Theft and vandalism are also insured losses that must be handled by insurance carriers. In many cases, the loss is either caused by carelessness or is an “inside job.” The insurance industry, which is responsible for investigation and replacement or coverage of the losses, spends millions of dollars investigating such activity, as well as billions of dollars in replacing or compensating policy holders for avoidable losses.
In both of the above scenarios, the recording, storage, and remote access of information relating to the events of an accident or theft which later can be used as reliable evidence would be beneficial in both stream lining accident and vehicle claims and ensuring that only valid claims are compensated. Further, having remote access to this information and the ability to download it while at the scene of the incident would be useful. This remote access will expedite the investigation of an accident or theft, provide accurate medical attention in the event of an accident, assist in the apprehension of perpetrators, and aid in the locating and retrieving of stolen vehicles.
A need exists for a system that can automatically record and store video and audio information stored on a recording system, download that information, and instantaneously transmit the information via a transceiver to the proper authorities, rescue vehicles, hospitals, and/or to an off site storage location. The transmission could be real time or time delayed.
A need exists for a system that incorporates a video output interface to a display screen monitor such that a police officer, rescue unit, hospital, or the like could view the incident in order to provide better assistance.
A need exists for a system that, in addition to video output display, can download, transmit, and display information regarding certain physical phenomenon associated with a vehicular accident or theft, such as vehicle dynamic information including position, speed, acceleration, and also audio, and the like, that had been monitored and recorded by the recording system. The system could be utilized by police, hospitals, rescue workers, and the like in ascertaining certain information, such as the extent of any injuries, determination of fault in an accident, whether a crime is ongoing, and the proper equipment needed for a particular incident.
The present embodiments meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed FIGURE.